A TERRIFIED dad, who feared for the safety of his young daughter after she discovered used and bloody syringes in a hostel bathroom, has been re-homed thanks to the Advertiser/Messenger.

Seven-year-old Keyleigh was staying with her dad Ben Jackson in Rubery Lodge, a supposedly family friendly hostel in New Road, after they were put there by Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT), which manages the accommodation.

However, Ben feared that his daughter might be spiked by a dirty needle or be taken away from him by social services because of the conditions they were living in.

The problem came to a head when Keyleigh walked into the bathroom alone and found a number of used syringes, which Ben claimed had signs of heroin and blood in them.

"It was a parent's worst nightmare, I was really scared and something needed to be done. I have taught Keyleigh to stay clear of syringes and she told me and I cleared them up.

"It is definitely thanks to the paper that I got moved into a new hostel, without its help I could still be in the Rubery one," he said.

Ben used to live above Ladbrokes bookmakers, in Church Street, Bromsgrove, but the building was damaged by fire in November 2003. After the incident he went to live with his mum and step dad before taking responsibility for Keyleigh after her mother and his ex-partner, Sheila, became ill and died of cancer. However, the nightmare soon got even worse for the pair.

"We had to leave my mum's house because there was not enough room for us all," said Ben.

"We then had to live in my car for a week until we were told to go to Rubery Lodge in October."

Bromsgrove District Housing Trust's housing needs manager Leah Dingley said: "We have every sympathy for Mr Jackson and his daughter. Living in a hostel is a far from ideal situation and since the family moved into our property we have been working to find alternative accommodation.

"At the first notification of the problem, we contacted Ben and offered him a self contained flat. He has requested to move into an alternative hostel, which we have agreed to do."